b'That must be an interesting challenge for you, balancing your need for me time with your duties as CEO of FP Genetics, which requires a lot of handshaking, networking, meetings, phone calls and the like.Those introvert tendencies come from just needing a break once in a while. We all need to shut our minds off sometimes. Working on projects around home or farming on weekends lets me disconnect from work for a while and just lets me use my hands and get a little dirty. For me, its about keeping a balance.What qualities do you have that you feel make you a good CEO?Ive had the ability my entire career to look at things from a common-sense perspective and an ability to see where things will go. I call it realistic optimism. I think when you combine that with an ability to apply your past experiences to situations, and youre comfortable making decisions without 100% of the information youd like to have and can remain agile and adapt to changing environ-ments, youre in a good spot to move an organization forward. I believe in the concept of a team wholeheartedly. Keeping people engaged in the business and empowering them to be successful is ultimately what has made me successful.Whats your top piece of advice for being suc-cessful in todays business world?You have to get involved in your industry, otherwise youre left standing at the back of the room wondering whats going on. Theres a term I love and thats living in the greybeing able to make decisions without know-ing everything you want to know. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box and take a few risks. Opportunity can pass you by if you spend too much time obsessed with the minutia. Stay focusedif youre not moving toward a clearly defined end result, you are left wandering in random directions. Stay true to your core business. MARCH 2020 GERMINATION.CA 39'